Kiviok Hight is the archetype of the mountain athlete: adventure racer, multi-sport competitor and passionate hunter. “People go on vacation to relax and de-stress, but then have to come back and deal with regular life. I do the opposite. I go and try to physically exhaust myself so that real life seems like a vacation,” he says.

He’s always on the move, training, competing, building strength, agility and endurance – all for his first love: hunts involving steep, rugged high country, archery equipment, and majestic mountain sheep. “I love the mountaineering side of it. I just really love the challenge; to know that you’ve truly tested yourself while you’re out there.” He is no stranger to hunts requiring 12-hour pack-outs. “I love the exhaustion.”

Kiviok suffers for what he loves, but he’s not a masochist, and refuses to suffer without purpose. He seeks out the lightest, most comfortable, most reliable gear available, and for years, that meant using gear designed for alpine-style backpacking on his hunts.

“No one had brought backpacking gear into hunting before Sitka,” he says. “Now that they have, I use my Sitka Gear for absolutely everything – mountain biking, hiking, and in my triathlons and adventure racing.” With technical gear built specifically for hunting, his hunts have become easier and much more comfortable.

That allows him the luxury of keeping a camera in his hunting pack, letting him capture and share the adventure. His pictures may be the closest we mortals will ever get to his rugged, remote hunting grounds.